SVG, NACDA Honor Winners of Ninth-Annual College Sports Media Awards

ESPN's Tom Rinaldi hosted an evening packed with emotion and laughs as the industry honored the finest in college-sports-video production

By Jason Dachman and Karen Hogan Thursday, June 1, 2017 - 8:08 pm
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The Sports Video Group (SVG) and National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) partnered to shine a spotlight on the very best in college-sports video at the ninth-annual College Sports Media Awards, sponsored by Ross Video.

In a special ceremony capping Day 1 of the SVG College Sports Summit in Atlanta, a total of 20 CSMAs were awarded in five categories: Live Game Production; Program Series; Special Feature; Promo, PSA, Team, or Marketing Campaign; and, new this year, Live Non-Game Production. More than 400 entries were submitted for consideration across four divisions: National Networks, Regional/Local Networks and Production Companies, Collegiate Athletics, and Collegiate Student.

ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi hosted the CSMA ceremony with a mix of levity and emotion. The ESPN broadcasting legend opened the evening with a celebratory message to all of the night’s nominees.

“The fact that you’re in this room is great victory in and of itself — and I could not say that in any more of a heartfelt way,” he said. “It’s a great celebration and reflection of the work you have committed to do. And it’s work that all of your viewers and audiences enjoy.”

The First Timers: Bulls, Golden Gophers, Pirates, and a First for Canada
The ceremony honored a number of first-time CSMA winners, including the University of South Florida, University of Minnesota, East Carolina University, and the boutique creative design and production agency Charlie Company.

“I did not expect this, but this is an amazing category because you see the greatness of our students at East Carolina, and I’m so glad that I get to take this back to them,” said Brian Meador, East Carolina University, ECU media specialist, Pirate Video. “The nominees are fantastic. I look around this room, and I see all these young folks, and it makes me realize that, for old guys like me, it’s our job to promote these kids and inspire them to make a fantastic video. You just saw [the results] of that.”

In a CSMA first, Ryerson University’s win in the Outstanding Program Series category is the first by an international academic institution (Ryerson is located in Toronto). “This is a huge moment for our university,” said Ryerson Athletics play-by-play commentator Stan Temming.

In its first year winning a CSMA, University of Minnesota’s Gopher Productions took home two trophies in the Collegiate Athletics division: one for Outstanding Special Feature and one for Outstanding Promotion, PSA, Tease, or Marketing Campaign.

ESPN, Longhorn Network Continue CSMA DominanceESPN and Longhorn Network increased their number of awards to 13 apiece, each notching wins in the Outstanding Live Non-Game Production and Outstanding Special Feature Categories for a total of four on the night.

With two wins this year in the Outstanding Live Game Production Category (for the 2016 Army-Navy Game) and the Outstanding Promotion, PSA, Tease, or Marketing Campaign Category (for its 2017 NCAA Basketball National Championship Tease), CBS brings its impressive all-time tally to nine.

SEC on CBS Coordinating Producer Craig Silver

CBS, Auburn, BYU, MTSU Score in Top Live-Game Production CategoriesIn accepting the night’s final award — for Outstanding Live Game Production for the 2016 Army-Navy Game — SEC on CBS Coordinating Producer Craig Silver said, “I’ve had the great fortune to produce the majority of the Army-Navy games since 1986. I’ve also had the honor of being in the right place at the right time, and this certainly ranks near the top of that list.”

Silver added that everyone in the audience should aspire to produce content on par with CBS’s coverage of the Army-Navy game and praised the up-and-coming generation of live-sports producers. “[This ceremony] brings people like myself and Tom [Rinaldi] and the folks from ESPN and connects them to the future. It’s what it’s all about. To all of you aspiring broadcasters sitting out there, the future is bright for all of us and all of you. Go out and make us all proud.”

Mikel Minor, BYU Broadcasting, senior coordinating producer

For the second year in a row, Auburn University’s War Eagle Productions and BYUtv won the CSMA for Outstanding Live Game Production in the Collegiate Athletics and Regional/Local Networks and Production Companies Division, respectively.

“This would not be possible without all the staff back at Auburn, including the more than 30 students that helped put on that broadcast together,” Jeff Hanel, Auburn, athletics director of post-production. “To our entire full-time staff as well as all of our students, this goes out to them. Thank you very much.”

Said Mikel Minor, BYU Broadcasting, senior coordinating producer, “It wasn’t long ago that I was working [at ESPN] in Bristol with [Tom Rinaldi] grinding it out. That was thrilling. But this is fun. I’ve had a great time working at BYUtv. This is a shout-out to our incredibly hardworking team out in Provo.”

Rounding out the Outstanding Live Game Production category, Middle Tennessee State University (EMC Productions) won in the Collegiate Student Division for its production of a men’s basketball game, the organization’s second all-time win.

Ball State, Notre Dame Back for More CSMAsNo stranger to the CSMA stage, three schools continued their tremendous success at this year’s ceremony. University of South Carolina’s Gamecock Productions, Ball State University’s Ball State Sports Link, and St. Cloud State’s Husky Productions took home an eighth pyramid each in the CSMA’s nine-year history. Over the past six years, Ball State Sports Link earned top honors in the Outstanding Special Feature Category, Collegiate Student Division, five times.

Ball State’s Tyler Bradfield (right) and Connor Nichols

“We are firm believers that awards are more a representation of the people that support you than the people up here accepting on this stage,” Tyler Bradfield, Ball State Sports Link, graduate assistant, digital sports production. “So thank you to Ball State Sports and our exceptional instructors.”

University of Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish Media returned to the CSMA stage for its production of Notre Dame Football Signing Day (in the Outstanding Live Non-Game Production Category, Collegiate Athletics Division), having won its first trophy last year.

“This was a seven-hour live program, and, when I built the rundown for it, I accounted for the first five minutes and then we let the signings dictate what happens,” Mike Bonner, University of Notre Dame, executive producer, live events. “I want to thank the entire Fighting Irish Digital Media team. Everyone had a lot of sleepless nights, and this goes out to them.”

Rinaldi capped off the ceremony with a bright — and humorous — prediction for the future of the industry: “The future is very, very bright, and, while I personally feel threatened that one of you is going to take my job very soon, I also know that the sporting audience out there in America is in very, very good hands. Congratulations to you all.”

College Sports Media Awards winners and finalists are selected by a blue-ribbon panel of industry peers and celebrate the very best in college-sports-video production. For more information on the SVG/NACDA College Sports Media Awards, visit www.svgcollege.com. Stay tuned to sportsvideo.org for full video recaps and acceptance speeches from the ceremony in the coming days.